Workman opposes Utah Theater tax

Raising taxes is not the way to help pay for a proposed renovation of the Utah Theatre, Mayor Nancy Workman announced Tuesday.

Someone else should foot the bill for the theater, not taxpayers, Workman said. "Our tax dollars are too precious for this project. Taxpayers deserve a break."

The county mayor has refused to raise taxes, even at times of declining tax revenues and a sluggish economy.

Owners of the 82-year-old Utah Theatre hope to resuscitate the once-bustling vaudeville show house but believe doing so would cost somewhere between $30 million and $50 million.

The site is now owned by Rick Howa Construction, which has proposed renovating the historic theater into a Broadway-caliber show house seating about 2,500. Howa has also donated $7,000 to Workman's campaign.

Clear Channel, the huge communication/entertainment company that has a national theater management division, won't underwrite the renovation but has announced it would pay to help operate the new theater. If the plan goes through, Clear Channel would manage both the Utah and the Capitol Theatre.

That miffs local arts groups, who fear handing over scheduling duties to a private entity.

Herb Livsey, chairman of the Utah Symphony and Opera, said Clear Channel doesn't understand the scheduling needs of his organization.

"How would you like to perform 'The Nutcracker' in July?" Livsey said. "I would hope it wouldn't come to this. 'The Nutcracker' isn't a real big hit in the summertime."

Workman said she can't ask taxpayers to build a theater that a private company would operate. "I am not comfortable with having taxpayers subsidize corporate profits," she said.

The plan requires a comprehensive study, with public scrutiny and community feedback before moving forward, Workman said. If the study proves that Salt Lake needs another theater, Workman said she would help raise private funds instead of raising taxes.

"If it's profitable and it looks great, I would think private enterprise would look at it," Workman said. "It's a beautiful opportunity. It's a great theater with some great history, but right now I can't recommend raising taxes to fund it."

Livsey said he isn't opposed to another theater in the downtown area, as long as the plans have undergone careful consideration before any work begins.

"We look forward to any development within the state and county here that are helpful to the citizens of the county," Livsey said. "We're not opposed to a new facility."

Peter Corroon, who is running against Workman as a Democrat, announced his support for the theater following Workman's news conference. He said that voters should have a chance to vote on a bond, and that if the theater is built, its business plan should incorporate input from all arts groups.

"The theater can be a great addition to Salt Lake County. It would bring in Broadway-type shows that might not otherwise come to Utah," he said. "The renovation would also bring back to life a beautiful historic building."

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Contributing: Josh Loftin.

E-mail: ldethman@desnews.com